Hitting All the Numbers at Keno’s

Keno's Restaurant

5750 East La Palma Ave. 

Anaheim, CA 92807

This is another long-overdue review. For those unaware, I grew up in Yorba Linda and lived in North OC for the first two decades of my life. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Yorba Linda and the surrounding area were not a hotbed of excellent restaurants. Even today, it still isn't going to rival other parts of OC, but the restaurant scene has gotten a little bit better. Keno's Restaurant is one spot that helped change the restaurant landscape back in the days of yore. 

Keno's has been around since 1983. Back then, just to get to a Denny's or another coffee shop, you had to go to Orange or Brea. Keno's helped cut our drive time in half, and it quickly became a local favorite. The current owner, Steve Cooper, and his father-in-law bought the restaurant in 1993, and locals still flock here for weekend breakfast, karaoke nights in the lounge, early bird breakfast specials on weekdays, and their famous fried chicken special on Tuesdays. 

Walking into Keno's, you feel instantly transported into the past. Every table is a booth, eliminating overcrowding in the dining room. The servers seem to have been here forever, and the darkened lounge brings to mind the Peppermill I visited as a kid in Reno. You can also eat at a counter, which you don't see in many restaurants anymore. 

The menu at Keno's is enormous. Highlights include burgers, melts, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, pasta dishes, Mexican food, and comfort food classics like meatloaf, country fried steak, a turkey dinner, and others. To be honest, I have only had breakfast here. Their breakfast menu is filled with all the classics and served all day. We were meeting our good friends Ozker and Bianca for a long overdue catch-up. We had about a five-minute wait for our party of five at 9 on a Sunday morning, which was way shorter than when we had been here before. Let's take a look at how our breakfast went this particular morning. 

I'm going to spark a little controversy with my following sentence. Chicken fried steak is the most photogenic of all breakfast foods. It's almost impossible to take a bad picture of this delicious dish. Eggs Benedict might be a close second, but then there's a sharp drop-off for third place for the most beautiful breakfast plate. Anyway, Katie chose the Keno's Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs ($17.79). Keno's uses sirloin tri-tip, which is breaded and topped with a country gravy. It was in the fryer just a minute or two too long, but the gravy helped to cover up that mistake. It's not the biggest country fried steak plate she has had, but the inclusion of the three eggs and the mound of crispy hashbrowns more than filled her up/ 

Many people would describe Bianca as special, so it was fitting that she ordered the Special Gourmet Omelet ($16.99). The omelets at Keno's are all made with three eggs, and this one came with mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese and was topped with avocado. Bianca was happy with this omelet and even more thrilled that she did not have to do the dishes afterward. Instead of toast, you have the option of getting two pancakes instead. She did that so she could share it with her four-year-old daughter. Both mother and daughter were happy with their breakfasts. 

I'm always partial to skillets; the more meats, the better. That meant the Farm House Skillet ($16.99) would be placed before me. Just like the omelets, the skillets are made with three eggs. This skillet came with the holy trinity of breakfast meats; ham, bacon, and sausage, and was finished with bell pepper, onions, and cheese topping the hashbrowns. This was not heavy on the bell pepper or onions, which allowed the meats and cheese to stand out more. I liked the contrast between the crispiness of the hashbrowns and the eggs. Very filling and satisfying.  

I always try to pair savory and sweet when eating my first meal of the day, so it was no surprise that I opted for pancakes instead of toast. However, I added chocolate chips for an additional $2. From the picture, you probably think I got ripped with the number of chocolate chips they gave me, but they were plentiful in the batter underneath. The pancakes were delicious, and it's easy to see why they are so popular with their guests. 

It's easy to see why Keno's has been such a hit with the people of North OC for the last 40-plus years. There are few coffee shops like this around anymore. The food will not blow you away, but it's a place where you can get a nice and honest breakfast with large portions for a fair price. After having breakfast here, we skipped lunch and ended up having just a light dinner. I wish I remembered our server's name, but she was excellent and ensured our every need was met. With an experience like this, it's easy to see why the people of Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, and other surrounding cities have supported Keno's for so many decades. 

Out of five stone blocks (because the Great Wall of China is believed to have been financed by an early version of the gambling game keno, and they used quite a few blocks for this massive structure), five being best to zero being worst, Keno's Restaurant gets 3 stone blocks.  

For more information about Keno's Restaurant, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.kenosrestaurant.com/

Brining Chicken to Dizzying Heights at a Mall?

 Dizzy Bird

555 The Shops at Mission Viejo

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

This is a first. In my 14 years of writing about restaurants, I am trying to remember writing about a restaurant in a mall food court. In the early days of this blog, I might have written a review about Hot Dog on a Stick, Mrs. Field's, or Cinnabon, but I didn't. Now, there's not one of those places within 15 miles of where I live, and there is no longer any Hot Dog on a Stick in OC. It's not surprising because malls are being bulldozed at an alarming rate. 

I thought my days of mall food were over, except for the occasional visit to redeem a gift certificate at either Island's or the Cheesecake Factory that my mom and dad get me every year. What has brought me to the mall food court? I've seen the glowing reviews for Dizzy Bird, a Mediterranean-inspired chicken rotisserie that opened at the Shops at Mission Viejo almost a year ago. They possess a very impressive 4.8 rating on Yelp and have had some prominent social media influencers visit to try their food.

That was enough to get me moving and plan out the seven-minute drive from my house to give them a try. They are located in between Island's and Blaze Pizza. Park near Dick's Sporting Goods for the closest parking to Dizzy Bird. Predictably, ordering is done at the counter, and they call out your name when your order is ready. I visited here two times, and each time, they seemed to be one of the busier tenants at the food court, with their only competition for the title of most foot traffic at the food court being Paradise Bakery. People really love those cookies. 

It's no surprise that chicken dominates the menu at Dizzy Bird. If you are not a fan of poultry, it would be best for you to move along to another stall nearby. They feature chicken in various forms: a wrap, bowl, salad, plate, or, for larger groups, even a platter. Six sides and nine house-made sauces close out the menu. Plates go anywhere from $14 to $18, while wraps will set you back $12. Let's see how our two trips here went. 

Katie was getting a wrap, which I'd typically get, but I selected the Half Chicken Plate ($18.99) for the sake of diversity.  This comes with a leg, breast, thigh, wing, two sides, pita bread, and garlic sauce. It was a good sized plate of food, but I'm professional, so I finished the whole thing. Truth be told, I'm not the world's biggest fan of chicken because, most of the time, it's as dry as the Sahara Desert. This was one of the juiciest versions I have ever had. Even the breast was juicy, which is very rare. The skin had a crispy texture and was very flavorful. For my two sides, I got lemon garlic potatoes and Mediterranean rice. The rice was bland, but the potatoes were bursting with goodness. A tinge of lemon hung out in the background of each bite while the garlic was front and center. Very tender potatoes also. The pita bread was good, and the garlic sauce was very strong, just as I like it. It might be one of the better garlic sauces we've had in OC. I'd get more next time to help wake up the rice. 

On our first visit to Dizzy Bird, Katie got the Silly Bird ($11.99), one of four wraps available. I also got this one on my second visit several months later. This one contains rotisserie chicken, potatoes, pickled cucumber, garlic sauce, and Dizzy Bird sauce for dipping. As you can see from the pictures above, Katie's wrap was left on the grill a little bit too long, but she enjoyed it. The wrap was filling and satisfied my hunger. The chicken and tender potatoes worked well together. I'd ask for extra garlic sauce the next time I get this, as it was less noticeable than I would have liked. The dizzy bird sauce had a nice tanginess to it, and I found myself using it more and more while I was eating my wraps. 

I also tried the Hot Bird Wrap ($11.99). For this one, they tossed their chicken in a hot sauce mixture and added garlic sauce and pickled jalapenos to the wrap. This woke up my taste buds, but not in an overly violent way. The heat was a slow burn but never really got too intense. I used the provided dizzy bird sauce liberally, which helped mitigate the heat index of my wrap. My wraps were both excellent, but I'd opt for the hot bird the next time I visited. 

Dizzy Bird is a step in the right direction for the food court at the Shops at Mission Viejo. It is an independent concept that offers good-quality food to the six people who still visit malls instead of buying things online. Dizzy Bird is an excellent alternative to this venue's fellow chain tenants: Chipotle, Charley's Cheesesteaks, Panda Express, Smash Burger, and others. This is not my favorite lineup of places to grab a bite. Besides Dizzy Bird, there might be another reason to visit the food court soon, as Shaya Grill will soon open in the old Rubio's spot. They are a lamb restaurant, which might be a tough sell because lamb is not on many people's radar, but I'm a fan. So, there may be another mall review soon. 

Out of five trumpets (in honor of jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, who famously played the trumpet), five being best to zero being worst, Dizzy Bird gets 3 trumpets.  

For more information about Dizzy Bird, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.dizzybird.com/

Pardon My French, We’re at Bonjour Cafe in Dana Point

 Bonjour Cafe

24633 Del Prado Ave. 

Dana Point, CA 92629

I did a quick little search about what a French breakfast typically comprises. The average Parisian eats a lighter first meal of the day than their counterparts in the US. A croissant or a slice of bread with butter or jam, crepes, or yogurt are commonplace. They save their big meals for later in the day. This makes perfect sense because when I eat a breakfast of country-fried steak or pancakes, I suddenly feel the overwhelming need for a nap. Am I going to change my breakfast habits? You already know the answer; there's no chance. 

We had just finished walking in Dana Point Harbor and needed a place to refuel after our strenuous two-mile walk. My manager at work has always raved about Bonjour Cafe, so we plugged the address into our GPS and headed over to the Lantern District to give them a try on a recent Sunday morning. 

Bonjour Cafe has been around since 1992 when Pascal and Sandy LeVette wanted to create an affordable place for locals, employ a welcoming and consistent staff, and provide a good meal. The area was revitalized over the ensuing years, and the people of Dana Point and some out-of-town guests flocked to their little storefront near the corner of Violet Lantern and Del Prado. This past year, Pascal and Sandy decided to retire but found a buyer for their restaurant in a longtime server at their establishment, Cristian Gutierrez. 

This helped maintain the restaurant's continuity. There were no big shakeups in the staff. The menu stayed basically the same, and there did not seem to be any drop-off customer-wise, as they seemed to be busy, especially on the patio in front of the restaurant, which is packed most days. We were seated right away inside, right near the window. 

The menu items are listed in French, but the descriptions are all in English, so it's an easy menu to read. The one-page breakfast menu features five versions of eggs benedict, quiche, avocado toast, omelets, crepes, and French toast. Most items hover between the $15 to $20 range. Since we were so hungry, we quickly made our selections. Here's what we ate at Bonjour Cafe. 

I always like something a little sweet with my savory breakfast, so Katie and I decided to start with the Pastry Assortment ($6.99) at Bonjour Cafe. Included in the basket were a cinnamon roll, a chocolate chip twist, a custard croissant, and a cranberry twist. As is the case when eating authentic pastries from other parts of the world, these were less sweet than their counterparts from the US. They still did the trick, though. I enjoyed the chocolate chip twist the best and was surprised that the custard croissant was square and flat instead of what I'm used to a croissant looking like. Each of these tasted similar, as I believe that they used the same dough for each one. It's alright, but it's different from what I expected.  

They also brought out this bread basket as if we needed more carbs. Bread baskets are uncommon at breakfast, but we will never refuse more bread. It was presliced and came with some packaged butter. Nothing earth-shatteringly great, but we quickly scarfed this down right before our breakfast arrived. 

First was Katie's Brittany Omelet ($20). This large omelet was filled with smoked ham, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. The cheese was not used in overabundance, so the ham and eggs could stand out more. She felt this omelet was much lighter than others from other breakfast spots. Katie is not a big mushroom girl, but she found these delicious and helped bring an earthiness to most bites. The potatoes were seasoned well; since they were not uniformly cut, they had different textures, which was pleasing. 

My manager at work always raves about the benedicts at Bonjour Cafe, so the Smoked Ham Benedict ($17 plus $4.50 for a side of potatoes) was a must-have. This benedict forgoes the typical English muffin for country bread as its base, then piles on the thinly sliced ham, perfectly poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce and chives to top everything off. I liked the use of bread instead of the usual hard-to-cut-through English muffin. The poached eggs melted into the ham wonderfully, but I did have one problem with this benedict, the hollandaise sauce. It was very thin and lacked the flavor punch you expect from hollandaise sauce. 

Even with the rather dull hollandaise sauce, Bonjour Cafe is worth seeking out if you want a French breakfast spot. Their prices are a few dollars higher than most places, but the portion sizes are not skimpy, and they use some quality ingredients. We experienced some excellent service during this visit, as they came to check on us regularly. It's good to eat a lighter breakfast occasionally, but I'll always be true to my US breakfast roots. Next week, it'll be country-fried steak and eggs with an extra side of bacon. 'Murcia

 Out of five pencil sharpeners (because the pencil sharpener was invented in France in 1828), five being best to zero being worst, Bonjour Cafe gets 3 pencil sharpeners. 

For more information about Bonjour Cafe, head to their website by clicking here: http://www.bonjourcafe.com/